1. Field of the Invention
The invention is a latch wherein latching and unlatching is accomplished by an inward push of a keeper towards the latch.
2. Description of the related art
Although other inventors have proposed push-push latches, the present inventor is unaware of any other latch having the simplicity, or the advantage in quietness and ease of assembly, as the present invention.
An example of a prior push-push latch is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,489, issued to Robert H. Bisbing on Apr. 7, 1987. This latch hooks onto a corresponding keeper using a beam having a hook at one end. The movement of the beam is controlled by a shuttle, which is actuated by inward pressure applied by the keeper, and by a tension-compression spring. The compression portion of the spring biases the shuttle towards the frontal opening of the latch housing, and the tension end of the spring biases the front end of the beam rearward, causing the beam to rotate when acted on by the shuttle. This latch is also described in Southco, Inc., catalog, no. 48 NA. The present invention is an improvement over this latch, wherein the tension-compression spring is eliminated, and only a compression spring is used within the latch. Additionally, the present latch uses an improved housing and improved internal components, thereby reducing the number of parts and permitting single-direction assembly. The resulting latch has significantly quieter operation, fewer parts, and lends itself to automated assembly.